To Love A Rebel
by theromaniqueoddball
Summary: Not exactly a good girl meets bad boy story. Our good girl has plently of problems herself and it's not like our bad boy doesn't have a sweet side. So... it's sorta like a goodishbaddish girl meets a baddishgoodish boy. Yeah... R&R (it's a Bakura story)


Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

Hi readers, if any, this is not one of those fics where the millennium items are around and that crap. This is just something I made up with Yu-gi-oh characters in them. Just makin' that clear for you. Also, be prepared for flashbacks galore.

Gist: Just some "gettin to know the characters" stuff.

Characters so far:

Kioko- She's an orphan with a phobia for moving due to the many foster families she had to endure. She is currently living in a small apartment building in some city (I don't know which one yet, ideas are welcome) with her roomate Bakura. She's very insecure about her body and she is still only a teenager so she is constantly affected by mood swings and such. She graduated high school early (she skipped like three grades, if that's even possible) and dropped out of college because she couldn't afford it any more. She is currently 16 and works for a florist.

Bakura- He has his share of problems. Not an orphan, but a run-away, he's had experiences with drugs and gangs. He managed to stop most of his drug addictions before Kioko came, but he's still a bit of a smoker and might take an occasional shot of heroin or LSD (non-addictive drugs) when he gets stressed. He has a tendency to with-draw from people who ask about his past, but to those he first meets, he is friendly, funny, and outgoing. He has morals, but because of his past, his innocence is long past ruined. He has a record including DUI's, possession of a weapon, possession of illegal drugs, shoplifting, and disturbance of public, though nothing serious (at least, nothing serious that many people know about). He dropped out of school at age 12 when he ran away from home. He is currently 18 and works as a bartender (even though he's underage) at a shady strip club.

And now... the story:

Winter was always a hard time for Kioko. Not exactly traumatic memories from her childhood, but she HATED the cold. Though she often reminded herself that thanks to the rapidly dropping temperature she was allowed to hide her body in layers of clothes. It was always so embarrassing to parade around in shorts that showed her thighs and t-shirts that revealed her arms. Now that it was no longer 90 degrees outside she had a legit reason for why she never wore anything besides large, baggy pants and huge, long-sleeve shirts.

Looking out the window she noticed it was snowing outside. Shivering involuntarily Kioko hoped that this winter the landlord would remember to turn on the heat.

The front door of her shared apartment slammed shut. Her roommate was back from an evening full of clubbing and one-night stands.

It was amazing how a year ago, she was just meeting her roommate.

/Flash back/

Kioko sighed, her breath fogging up her window. Here she was again, shipped off to live with someone else, just like when she was younger. From foster family to foster family she was hoping that once she was 18 that she'd finally be able to stay in one place, but no, her landlord had to kick her out. She sighed again, and then smiled, remembering a bumper sticker she had seen a few days ago: "If the depression doesn't kill me, the carbon dioxide will."

No one else got the joke... then again, everyone else was an idiot. Junior college made her sick to her stomach. Everyone was always out partying and the teachers were barely out of college themselves. Someone always had a hangover and every week someone always got arrested. But that was all she could afford. It wasn't like her current "parents" were going to fork over any money to send some kid they barely knew to a good college.

'My life was screwed up since day one.' She thought wryly to herself. 'My parents dead in some car accident cause my father was drunk and my mother was high, my only relatives are on life support. My neighborhood full of hookers and druggies. Foster families by the thousands. Kioko's supposed to mean happy child... what a joke. There's no one more fucked up than I am.'

Then she met her roommate.

Getting off the train she looked around the station for a girl with white hair. "Probably forgot" she muttered to herself when she saw that no one fit the description. Being stranded at a train station with no money and no phone was not on her to-do list.

Just as she was about to sneak back on the train a head full of snow-white hair popped out from the crowd. Pushing threw the mass, she finally found her roommate, eating a hotdog and holding a sign that said, "New Roomie Come Here".

Kioko was surprised to find that her new roommate was no girl. Her roommate was a guy. A hot guy, yes, but a guy nonetheless. He was also eyeing her like a pretty toy.

Not used to such attention, she looked down, trying to hide the sudden redness that was invading her cheeks.

Throwing away his half-eaten hotdog, he took her suitcase and offered his coat to the obviously freezing Kioko.

"So... you're the new roommate... you must be by the way you're dressing. Guess you don't like the cold. I'm Bakura by the way. And you are?" he asked.

"Kioko" she answered feeling even more self-conscious and insecure.

"There's no need to be shy... I'm not going to rape you while you sleep if that's what you're thinking." He assured her.

Guessing that this was his way of being nice, she allowed herself to smile at him.

"Not a talker... oh well, we'll soon cure you of that, now let's get going or we're gonna run into traffic." Bakura suggested before grabbing her hand and leading her out of the rushing crowd.

Her hand was still warm from his touch hours after he let go.

/End flashback/

But that was a year ago and by now; Bakura had long dropped the nice act. He was rude whenever he spoke to her and disinterested whenever she tried to talk to him. The only thing preventing her from shipping out was the fact that she hated the thought of moving again.

"Hey Kioko, got anything to eat that isn't complete and total shit?" Bakura hollered, dropping his coat and plopping himself down on the couch while lighting up a joint.

Rolling her eyes she took some leftover Chinese takeout out of the refrigerator and shoved a spoon into the frozen mass of vegetables and noodles. Not bothering to heat up the food, she shoved the red carton into this hands before retreating into her room to escape the smoke that was billowing out of the cigarette.

When exactly had Bakura stopped being so nice to her? Before he was always so kind and sweet, but now he was a complete pain in the ass.

She was just starting to like him too... before he did a 180 on his personality. She remembered staying up all night that day wondering if maybe she had said something wrong.

/Flashback/

"Hey Kio, what do you want for breakfast?" Bakura shouted from the kitchen.

"How can you wake up so early and still sound all cheerful?" she replied groggily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, though not too asleep that she didn't hear his nickname for her and didn't feel that overrated warmth through her body.

"Years of working as a secretary will do that to you." He answered before handing her a plate full of eggs, toast, and pancakes.

"When did you ever work as a secretary?" Kioko asked, before shoveling the food into her mouth.

"That's classified info missy." He responded before winking at her.

After breakfast they both went to change into their swimsuits. Today was the day the public pool finally opened. Even though Kioko hated the thought of Bakura seeing her in a bathing suit with so much of her exposed, the idea of seeing him half-naked was just too tempting.

"Kio, can you rub suntan lotion on my back?" Bakura called from his room.

"Why can't you do it?" she asked, blushing at the thought of actually touching him.

"... because... it's on my back." he answered.

Mentally slapping herself for being so stupid she walked into his room and stopped herself just in time from staring and gaping like a fool.

A set of six-pack abs stared right back at her.

"You look like you've seen a ghost... are you alright?" he asked, worried (everyone all together now: awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww).

"I... I'm fine." She managed to say, still mesmerized by her roommate's body, before taking the suntan lotion from his hand. Spreading the oily liquid over his smooth and perfect back, she secretly thought of how it would feel if he didn't have his swimsuit on.

Slightly shocked at the dirty thoughts that were coming into her head, she shook her head to clear her mind. Scanning his upper body she marveled at the flawlessness of it all. Perfectly sculpted abs, flat stomach, and a smooth back, everything was faultless. Taking it all in, she noticed a small scar on his neck that she hadn't seen before due to the usual Buddhist prayer beads that Bakura wore.

"Hey, Bakura... how'd you get that scar on your neck?" she asked, curious.

There was a sudden change in the atmosphere and Kioko almost shuddered.

Bakura stiffened under her hands and she could see how clenched his fists were.

"Why do you care?" he snapped before jerking away from her touch, his demeanor changing completely.

"I...I ..." she stuttered, stunned at the change.

His face twisted into a scowl and he raised his hand to hit her, but self-control intervened and he lowered it down again. He purposefully dulled his eyes and slackened his facial muscles to achieve an expression of civil disinterest before turning away from Kioko.

"Whatever, now come on or we'll be late." He grunted before rudely shoving her aside.

To make a horrible day short, Bakura completely ditched her at the pool, leaving her to play with the little kids. Then, he conveniently forgot and drove home without her. She had to walk several blocks through traffic and people, dripping wet and barefoot, and endured being stepped on by high heels and groped by wandering hands. Needless to say, she never went back to that pool.

/End Flashback/

Kioko looked up from her folded arms at her digital clock. The red letters screamed 1:20 A.M.

'Musta dosed off' she thought before realizing that she had skipped dinner and was craving some pizza.

Deciding against calling Dominoes, Kioko felt her way through the darkness and stumbled into the kitchen. Opening up the freezer, she looked around for some frozen pizza to microwave. The sudden light blinded her momentarily and when she could finally see again, she noticed that Bakura was sleeping on the couch. From his position, he looked like he had dozed off too.

The carton of (still frozen) Chinese food to the side, his burnt-out joint still in his hand, his hair slightly mussed, and Bakura himself sleeping soundly.

Looking at him, Kioko couldn't help but smile. Asleep, Bakura achieved perfection. Long lashes, gentle expression, white hair framing his face. The usual bags under his eyes were gone and his blood-shot eyes, due to his new obsession with alcohol and who knows what else, were covered.

This was the Bakura she secretly adored. This was the Bakura that made her heart jump every time he entered the room. The "innocent" Bakura... the real Bakura.

'I guess people who are angels only look like angels when they sleep.' She thought to herself before retreating back into the kitchen, though not before sneaking even more peeks at her roommate.

After her impromptu midnight snack, Kioko crept back into bed, but the image of Bakura sleeping was firmly imprinted in her mind. Drifting off to dreamland, she couldn't help thinking about how it would feel to be sleeping right next to him.

/End of chapter one./

Well... how was it? Constructive criticism is allowed, though just being plain mean isn't. I might make it more angsty... or more romantic... or more funny... or it might just stay that way... what do you think? I feel like a pollster right now... but I do want to make a fanfic that readers enjoy.

Please review.


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